Capturing ideas and linking them to actions/projects

Capturing ideas and linking them to actions/projects

10-11-2003, 07:28 PM

I find this message board fantastic!
I am trying to move from a paper planning system to an Outlook/PDA system and really struggling. My paper planner facilitated the capture of ideas and communications with others all in one spot. I find taking notes in a PDA to be difficult and contrary to the free flow of ideas or capturing images etc. If I use a paper notebook to capture thoughts and meeting notes it seems to add another step in the processing phase. Have any others incorporated the Journal function of Outlook in some way? How does the GTD consulting team operate given their work in business development and client communication or any other person in a role involving heaps of meetings and a need to capture thoughts and ideas around projects?

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How does the GTD consulting team operate given their work in business development and client communication or any other person in a role involving heaps of meetings and a need to capture thoughts and ideas around projects.

Actually, I think it's safe to say we on the DAC team OVERcollect. That is, I will write down 50-80% more than I think I need to, because in the end, it's not about the collecting, but the rigor of processing those notes that takes the work.

Soon after any meeting or telephone call I am in, I will spend the time going through every note I took. "What's the next action?" With practice, you can PROCESS an hour-long meeting in minutes. And, many people find that this 5-minute period frees them up for the NEXT meeting or client communication they are required to attend!

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Dear Brian,
I struggled with the collection procedures for a long time, but lately I have achieved a -relatively- functional system. Here is what I do.

Like many have already said it, nothing beats paper. So, I have several 3x5 spiral-bound notebooks, which I keep throughout the house, in every coat, pair of pants, etc. Also I found some small size pens that fit inside the wire spiral, so I always have a pen handy. I will always jot down on paper, anything that is worth recording, making only one note per page. When I come to the office, when I empty my pockets I tear all the pages from the notebooks and place them into my inbox for processing.

I also use a computer, and many of the notes make their way into the Outlook tasks, notes, etc, as part of the processing/organizing steps. The benefits of using the computer are:
-allows me to backup my system. (in the old days I lost my DayPlanner once and I was crippled for weeks.)
-allows me to sychronize with a PDA. This will enable me to always have my ToDo, my lists, my appointment calendar, my Rolodex, etc. with me, in a tiny device that is about 1/2 the size of a pack of cigarettes.

I emphasize that at this time most (90%+) of my notes are written on paper, than introduced in the computer.

A note about the PDA. Although I used Palms for many years, recently I have been persuaded to get a PocketPC iPAQ1945. It is incredibly compact, synchronizez with the Outlook without some of the limitations of the Palm platform (multiple Categories, etc.). In addition, I can record *voice notes*, which cuts down on the notewriting. Additionally, you can jot down notes in longhand, on the screen, and they appear in your own handwriting, without the problem of Grafitti. They can be downloaded into Outlook and backed up.

I am not yet used to doing this yet, but as soon as I will implement this method consistently, between the voice notes and the longhand written notes, I might be able to eliminate the notebook. (I hope.)